Tag: starting over again

Last night, I watched online the Filipino movie Starting Over Again with my roomies. My curiosity got in because of what I’ve been reading in FB from some friends who happened to watched the movie couple of months back. Most of them gave positive reviews of the movie and since we have time to watch last night over dinner, so we did. An added factor why we decided to watch it is because the lead actors, Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga are both Christians (not discounting the fact that they are good actors too).

The storyline is simple and common to many Rom-com movies in the past. Girl meets Boy (or should I say “Man” because He was a former professor prior to being a couple), girl is deeply in love with him and did everything to win over the man of her dreams. Dream came true and they became a couple. On the night the man proposed marriage to her, she said NO for still unclear reason and she decided to leave the country leaving the poor guy puzzled and very heart broken. He wrote a letter to the girl for sending 4 years later expressing His strong feelings still and hoped that they would be together again.

However, as time passed by, guy met another lady who loved him despite his limitations and imperfections and made him whole again. But apparently, the original couple crossed paths once again when the guy planned to convert their old family house into a restaurant (which by the way was part of the plans of the then original couple). Girl tries to win him back despite the fact that he is already committed all because she realized that she still has feelings for him and that she was very sorry for her abrupt decision to leave him and has been regretting it since then.

One day, there was a confrontation between the two ladies and the ex-GF was begging the current GF to let the man go back to Him because she believes that He still loves her. Then a freak accident happened and both of them was rushed to the hospital. At that very moment, the guy had a realization that whilst he still love his ex-GF, He loves His current GF more and that the purpose of him crossing paths with his ex is to have a formal closure of their open-ended relationship so they could both be set free. They asked and released forgiveness to one another and the story ended with the guy proposing to his current love and the ex-GF finding a potential love of her life.

Many people including one of my room mate got a bit disappointed with the ending of the movie and complained that why they were not allowed to have a happy ending by being together again. It was not a typical ending to most love stories but I can personally relate to the movie’s the story line…

YES, not all Love stories have a happy ending (or so we thought). Sometimes, people can really not end up together even though they loved each other in the past..maybe because of certain unexpected circumstances or maybe because of their own decisions (but not necessarily mutual decision all the time, like what happened to the characters in the movie). But even though love stories ended unexpectedly, the most important thing when both parties realized that indeed they cannot be together again is to release forgiveness and receive forgiveness as well. Only then can they both move on.

It happened to me…It was really a struggle for few years not being sure of the future and still hoping that we could end up together again despite the fact that she is already committed by the time we were in speaking terms once again. But in our story, I was the Toni (meaning, I was the one who gave up) and had regretted it. I had fears and expectations..or maybe simply we are not in the same page anymore at that time so I decided to end the long-term relationship.

I also attempted to win her back but you know, God really has a way of telling what His plan is for us and His plan is always perfect and on time. When I realized that it was not God’s plan, only then that I tried to move on and asked for forgiveness and I also forgave myself. It was confirmed when she dreamt I had died. I believe it’s God’s way of telling us, that part of our life is a thing of the past and we must move on to what God has in-stored for us in the future.

I realized I had really moved on when last night while watching the movie and all the memories of the past flashed back, I no longer feel the pain but instead, I had that confident assurance that God is doing something great. Yes, I am still single for few years now but I know the future is so bright and wonderful.

Life is not like a timer in our phone wherein the moment we stopped time, automatically we can create a 2nd, 3rd lap and so on..We can never stop time nor turn it back but what we can be sure of is that God knows His plan for us. He already had the blue print of our lives even before we were born. All we need to do is completely trust and obey Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.